How the Rank 0 Chef Survives 026: Swallowed by the Hill
"Hmm..."
A cool breeze swirled through the trees, tickling my hair in the most pleasant way deep in the forest. I leaned against a tree thick with leaves, flipping through my notebook.
"Hm. There's quite a bit of decent info here."
I didn't need to go around asking people one by one. I scanned the notes, circling one entry.
"This seems the most plausible?"
'East of Shin-dong Village. A high hill overlooking the village. At its peak, there's a strange symbol.'
And beside it, a rough sketch of the symbol. It looked like a giant lollipop—a big circle with a stick poking out awkwardly.
He'd called it a giant lollipop shape, but it looked different to me.
"Summon."
Poof— Moonlight gathered in my hand, blooming into a stylish frying pan with a satisfying weight, glowing faintly blue.
The Moonlight Frying Pan. From the description of the symbol's size, this seemed like a perfect fit.
Yeah. If my guess was right, it wasn't a lollipop—it was a frying pan.
"Let's go, Taeyang! Adventure awaits!"
"Yes!"
I gazed up at the tall blue hill in the distance and stepped out boldly.
* * *
"Huff— huff—"
The destination wasn't far. East of Shin-dong Village, a large hill dotted with trees came into easy view.
All I needed was the stamina to reach the top. Just stamina. But that was the problem.
"Huff— huff—"
I felt like my stamina stat had gone up a tiny bit, but it was barely noticeable. How long had those rankers been grinding to get this strong?
"Huff— huff— almost there?"
"Yes, Master. Just a bit further up ahead."
Following Geum Taeyang's guidance, I finally reached the summit.
"Haa— haa... whew—"
It was breathtaking. From the high hilltop, every direction was a sea of green, teeming with countless lives sprouting anew.
A privilege for those who conquer the peak. I caught my breath in the refreshing wind, taking in the chest-opening view for a moment.
Once recovered, I pushed through the tall grass, seriously hunting for that symbol.
"Master! Found it!"
Rushing to where Taeyang pointed, there it was—a clean, artificial indentation waiting for me.
"Aha. My hunch was spot on."
Perfectly shaped like a frying pan, the structure was made of cold metal, just begging for the pan to be inserted.
"Summon."
I summoned the frying pan and carefully slotted it in.
Click—
Something locked into place, and it fit perfectly.
"......"
"......"
Taeyang and I stared down at the pan, then blinked at each other.
"Did it not work?"
"Let's wait a bit longer."
Then.
Flash—
A soft blue light enveloped the frying pan.
"Oh! It works! It works!"
Ziiing—
Like a scanner, it shot beams of light up and down the pan.
And then.
Clank— clank— hiss— whirr— click— click—
"Hm. Sounds like some kind of mechanical device?"
Complex gears meshing, spewing hot steam. It almost sounded like loading a gun. Mechanical parts coupling together.
Vrrr—
A mechanical hum straight out of a futuristic robot movie.
Kreeee—!
Something enormous was awakening from a long slumber.
"Wh-what is this?!"
The grass-covered hill flashed with eerie blue light, shaking with terrifying vibrations.
Rumble—
The entire hill quaked. Startled birds flapped away in a flurry.
The unknown machine noises grew louder.
"Ugh!"
I lost my balance and toppled over.
"Master! Grab my hand!"
Even amid the shaking, Taeyang crawled forward, groping the ground with his shield out, extending his hand.
Kreeee—!!
The mechanical roar intensified. I clutched the grass to avoid being flung off, reaching for Taeyang.
"Hngh!"
"Just a little more!"
My hand was inches from his.
The vibrations stopped. All machine sounds ceased.
Sudden silence.
"Huh?"
And then.
Crack—
The hill split in half, yawning open its massive maw.
"Whoaaaa!!"
"Masteeer!"
The gigantic mechanical monster swallowed us whole, and we plummeted into endless darkness.
Rumble—
As its huge jaws snapped shut just as quickly, all I could do was scream.
"Whoooaaa!!"
* * *
Clack— clack—
Crisp high-heel steps echoed on the ground.
"...This must be it."
Sera, in a sleek basic long coat shimmering with refined blue, gazed up at the rundown villa.
Woof!
A stray cat rummaging through trash bolted at the sight of her.
The stench from a burst food waste bag was foul. Sera wrinkled her nose, muttering bitterly.
"Get lost, you filthy things."
It was old, dirty. Not to Sera's taste at all.
Truth be told, she didn't know where Hura lived. Or rather, she'd been deliberately avoiding finding out.
If she knew, she might not be able to stop herself from bringing him stuff. Then Hura couldn't stand fully on his own.
It'd ruin the 'Hura New Man Project'—obvious as day.
But this was an emergency. Hura had paid off that massive deposit.
She'd schemed to keep him busy with the deposit and rent excuses, but he'd nuked the core of it.
Worse than paying it off was how he'd gotten the money. Her worried mind bubbled with dark hypotheses: loan sharks, gambling, scams, illegal speculation via sharks, shady pubs, etc.
"No way! Hura wouldn't do that."
She shook her head vigorously, banishing the bad thoughts.
"Let's see..."
Counting windows from outside, she guessed Hura's.
"Ah, there."
Under the darkening sky, one lit window caught her eye.
Maybe because Hura lived there. To Sera, that light felt oddly warm.
"Hehe... Hura's in there."
Her cold face melted into a dopey grin from the cozy glow.
"Yeah. No wandering around dangerously in the dark—stay home."
Until full night fell, Sera stared at the warm light leaking from that window before turning away.
"First day, so that's enough for today."
* * *
"Urgh..."
Rubbing my sore back, I pulled a strawberry potion from my inventory and chugged it.
Right before splatting on the ground, some mysterious force had buoyed me from below, saving me from death.
But not from slamming my back.
As I rubbed it, something burst up from the pitch-black darkness beside me.
"Kyaa!"
"Master! Are you okay?!"
It was Taeyang.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
"Phew— good. But that girly scream just now... was that you, Master?"
"...No? As if."
"Must be someone else here. Stay cautious."
"Uh... right."
I shoved the potion I'd meant for Taeyang back into my inventory.
What? Girly scream? No potion for you, jerk.
Rubbing my back, I scanned the surroundings. Amid the total dark, an eerie blue glow—source unknown—cast a cold pallor.
This blue didn't illuminate the dark; it melted into it, making everything creepier.
"Who knew there was a space like this inside the hill..."
I pushed up from the floor. Or tried to— a chill, ominous energy seeped into my hand. I examined the ground closely.
"What the..."
It wasn't dirt. Cold metal and machine parts covered everything instead.
No wonder it was so uneven. Felt like we'd landed in the belly of a giant mechanical beast.
Peering around by the faint blue light, Taeyang's voice called out.
"Master! Something here."
"What is it?"
He pointed at a protrusion in front of him.
"Looks like a button, Master."
"Hm..."
He was right. It rose to about waist height, topped with a single round blue button.
Begging to be pressed. Like it grew straight from the floor's machine parts. I nudged the pillar with my foot.
"It's a button, sure, but what kind?"
"Pressing it should tell us."
"Yeah, but let me think first—"
Boop.
Geum Taeyang mashed it without hesitation.
"You idiot! What if you just slam it?!"
"But there's no other way, right?"
"Damn it. At least give me time to brace myself."
Rumble— vrrr—
A faint vibration, like a colossal beast stirring.
And—
Kaang— kaang— kaang—
Bright lights flicked on one by one.
"Ack!"
Eyes squinting at the sudden glare, I looked around—and my jaw dropped.
"This is insane..."
Floor, ceiling, rounded walls. All of it was machinery.
Intricate, almost grotesque gears and parts intertwined to form the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The hill was full of machines. No—the hill was a massive mechanical lump, overgrown with grass and trees.
Admiration was short-lived. Weird noises rose from the floor.
Clank— clank— grind— vrrr— hiss— whirr— click— thud!
"Wh-what?! What's happening now?!"
The floor writhed everywhere. And something was rising.
Click— thud!
Right in front of me, a bizarre mechanical humanoid pushed up from the floor with both hands.
"Uwaaak! What the hell?!"
"Master! Get behind me!"
Taeyang bashed and pressed it down with his shield, but it ignored him, slowly emerging.
"Summon!"
I whacked what seemed its head with the frying pan.
Clang—!
Moonlight Frying Pan's effect stuns the enemy.
"Now! Beat it down!"
This mechanical thing was tough. It barely budged from a few hits, but repeated stuns and pummeling made it spit screws, until it fully disassembled and sank back into the floor.
"Hah— hah— why's it so damn sturdy?"
Hands on knees, panting, Taeyang said quietly.
"...Master. Get behind me."
Looking up at his grave tone, dozens of the same mechanical beings surrounded us.
They watched silently, motionless. Like frozen solid.
Artificial blue glows emanated from their eyes. Chilling blue light.
Their vacant stares lacked focus. Some heads twisted at odd angles.
Their expressionless gazes sent chills down my spine.
Silence settled coldly.
"...Taeyang."
"Yes, Master."
"Don't move."
We couldn't move. Instinct screamed it.
Seconds stretched like an hour.
"...Gulp."
I swallowed nervously.
Creak?
One tilted its head grotesquely.
"...Taeyang."
"Yes, Master."
"Run!"
Thud— creak! Creak! Creak! Clank! Clank! Clank! Thud! Thud! Thud!
They charged all at once.